St. Charles, Kaneland school officials say threats not credible

School officials at St. Charles School District 303 and Kaneland School District 302 investigated possible threats this week. The threats were found not to be credible.

The threats had been directed at Thompson Middle School in St. Charles, St. Charles East High School and Kaneland High School in Maple Park.

A former student at Thompson Middle School wrote a Facebook post that something was going to happen at the school Friday, District 303 Superintendent Don Schlomann said.

“A parent, a staff member and students brought it to our attention,” Schlomann said.

He said it was determined that no credible threat existed. Schlomann said there also was no credible threat at St. Charles East High School.

“There was not any specific threat, just a rumor of a threat,” he said. “It really was one of those things that somebody says something and when it gets to other people, it becomes much larger than it is.”

St. Charles School District sent out an email stating the threats were not credible. Schlomann said the district wanted to convey that information, especially in light of last week’s school shooting in Connecticut.

“We could have just let it go, but we wanted to let people know we knew about these things,” he said. “Nobody has to feel uneasy. We have not seen any threats.”

St. Charles police spokesman Paul McCurtain said the department determined the threats at Thompson Middle School and St. Charles East High School were not credible. He couldn’t say whether charges were pending in the cases.

Kaneland High School Principal Chip Hickman said rumors of possible incidents at the high school also were unfounded. He posted a message on the school’s website to inform students and parents of the situation.

“We’ve had no specific threat,” he said. “We’ve investigated every line of communication back to its original source.”

Hickman said there has been a “heightened sense of awareness” in light of the Connecticut shootings.

“We’ve had a number of parents contact us, concerned about their children’s safety,” he said. “They want to know what is going on.”

At the same time, he said the school district doesn’t want to add to the anxiety by discussing rumors or threats.